The Rule
by thelastingsacrifice
Summary: No matter what, there was always on Rule that the Bad Touch Trio were determined to follow.
1. The Awesome One

Sometimes, there was such a thing as being _too_ awesome. Like when it woke you up for no reason. At three o'clock in the morning. Despite the fact Gilbert had gone to bed at two in the morning. Meaning he had only gotten (whoop-de-do!) one hour of sleep.

Groaning, the albino rolled over, glaring at the glowing numbers on the face of his clock. They were mocking him, he decided. Laughing at him, though they were definitely jealous that they weren't as awesome as he was! "Stupid clock and your stupid numbers," Gilbert sneered, "thinking you would ever have a _chance_ of being as awesome as me! Everyone hates you anyway, why don't you just go jump off a bridge or something? Nobody needs you or your stupid time!" Giving a satisfied huff, Gilbert rolled back so he was facing the ceiling, eyes restlessly tracing patterns on his ceiling.

A soft chirp was suddenly heard. Sitting up, Gilbert glanced down at his feet, watching as Gilbird looked at him sleepily. "Ah, sorry little guy! I didn't mean to wake you up!" Gilbert said apologetically, watching as his small friend went back to sleep with another soft chirp. Slowly sitting up, Gilbert glanced around the room for a moment, before getting out of bed, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders as he shuffled out, plopping onto the couch.

What was there to do at this horrifying hour? He couldn't go to any of the local bars; they knew his face and refused to let him in at this time. Hell, they refused to let him in most of the time anyway! Just because of that one incident…crossing his arms, Gilbert made an irritated sound, making his way into the living room. He would be meeting up with Tonio and Francis soon, so he couldn't call them right now. Damn! Three in the morning really was not awesome! No wonder he had woke up, he needed to paint some color on this pitiful time!

Bounding to his feet, Gilbert only needed to take one step before he tripped over that accursed blanket and did a face plant on his coffee table. "My poor nose," He groaned; fingers flying up to cup it; eyes watering as it throbbed (though he would deny it later). "Stupid table, I didn't want to paint it red!" Gilbert said in a moan, tenderly touching his throbbing face. Picking his head fully up from the table, the albino shot the blanket a fierce glare. "That is IT! I'm going to send you to Antonio! He'll know what to do with unruly blankets who try to break my face!" Seizing the blanket, Gilbert threw it across the room, before turning his attention back to the coffee table.

"And you! You were the—"Abruptly cutting off, Gilbert reached out and picked up the picture that had fallen over when his face had decided to become friends with the table. Sitting back down on the couch, Gilbert carefully brushed some of the dust off it, staring down at the picture, a soft smile growing across his face. Smiling back at him was Francis, Antonio, and himself. Granted, much younger versions, though they had never been innocent!

He remembered that day well. Sinking down so he was laying on the couch, Gilbert wrapped his arms around the picture, hugging it to his chest. Closing his brilliant red eyes, he found himself suddenly in a different time, back when the only thing that had been important was proving himself better than anyone else.

MEMORY START

"What are you always so happy about? You sit there and you smile at me despite the fact I just groped you! Does it truly please you?" A musical voice echoed, making Gilbert flatten himself behind the tree.

"What? I don't know, I mean, I don't really mind or anything if that's how you say hello! Besides, I thought you were a lady when you did it," a relaxed, almost lazy voice answered, though there was clear amusement in his tone.

"A lady? Hmm. I see a way I could work that to my advantage!" The musical voice said gleefully. Peering around from behind his tree, Gilbert watched a blonde person dance around with suspicious eyes. Although, he had to admit, if he hadn't known the blonde was a guy, from the back he did look like a girl.

"Well, as soon as you turned around, I knew you were a guy," the lazy voice said in an absent manner. Tearing his eyes away from the blonde, Gilbert found himself examining an obviously Spanish boy now, a smile crossing his face, something that seemed to be second nature to him. His green eyes were alight with amusement as he watched the blonde haired blue eyed man.

Letting out a huff, Gilbert proudly walked out from behind his tree, head held high, and his posture rather regal. "Trespassers, prepare to taste the wrath of my crop! Nobody can get away with coming to MY spot!" Gilbert declared, brandishing his weapon, a feral grin streaking across his face. To his immense satisfaction, the blonde actually jumped and hid behind the Spanish boy, who was staring at the crop with a fascinated expression.

"Your spot? I don't recall seeing your name on it!" The blonde boy argued, standing beside the Spanish boy now, instead of behind him. "Besides, surely we can share? After all, there is enough beauty here for everyone!" Letting out a laugh, the blonde boy tossed his hair. Gilbert could almost _hear_ the sparkles.

All of a sudden, the Spanish boy made a sound of surprise. "Oh! I know who you are!" He said excitedly, though his accent made it hard to understand what he had said. "You're Gilbert! Yeah! You're the one who is terrorizing everyone!" The Spanish boy was absolutely _beaming _now.

Surprise flickered in the red depths of Gilbert's eyes for a few moments, "You know of me?" He asked uncertainly for a moment, before letting out a laugh. "Of course you know about the awesome me! Anyone who doesn't deserves to be enlightened! I am a truly wonderful presence!"

"Why, you're right! It is him! I thought his appearance was familiar!" The blonde said, not wanting to be left out of this conversation. "It is an honor to meet the cause of the hell that has been happening!" He said with a charming smile, as well as a flirtatious wink. "It seems I groped the wrong person! Here, allow me!" He said with a grin, making grabby hands toward Gilbert.

Eyes widening, Gilbert quickly smacked those frightening hands with his crop. "No! There will be no groping of the awesome me!" He said quickly, backing up slightly. "Not until you wash your hands anyway. I don't know where those have been!" He added, with a slightly indignant tone. He heard the Spanish boy give a soft laugh, before his voice added into the comments.

"Ah, he got you there Francis. I'm not quite certain where your hands have been either…" After a moment, he added "and I'm not certain I _want_ to know." A slightly horrified expression came over his face at that point.

Letting out a disgruntled sound, the blonde (whose name was Francis) shook his head. "Such insults, as if a Frenchman wouldn't have clean hands!" Letting out a huff, he turned away from the other two, setting up a corner of gloom.

"Hey! Only the awesome me is allowed to have corners of gloom! Only I have something better than a corner of gloom!" Gilbert boasted proudly, puffing out his chest. All of a sudden, he had the Spanish boy and the Frenchie staring at him, curiosity gleaming in their eyes. "I have…an ALTAR OF DOOM!" Gilbert declared, tossing his head back.

"Ooh…" The other two boys said with wide eyes. They were, Gilbert decided, properly amazed. They seemed to be alright, hmm, they might even make proper friends!

"Oh! Well, you know his name," The Spanish boy said, pointing to Francis, "and we both know yours, but you don't know mine!" He seemed to be quite appalled by this, his stunning green eyes wide. "I'm Antonio!" He said happily now, clapping slightly.

"Antonio and Francis…hmm, for intruders you two don't seem to be so bad." Gilbert declared, putting away his crop. He didn't see the relieved look Francis shot Antonio at that, as he rubbed his whipped hands. "In fact, I think I like you two! I know exactly what we can do! You see…" Dropping his voice, Gilbert gestured for the two of them to come closer.

Bounding forward, the Spanish boy (Antonio, Gilbert reminded himself) was quick to come over. Francis followed a few moments later, apparently having gotten over getting his hands smacked. "You see, I can do amazing things on my own. But if we join forces, we can become the most bad-ass trio to rule this pathetic land!" Gilbert whispered excitedly, his red eyes gleaming excitedly.

"Oh, I do like the way you think!" Francis said excitedly, grinning widely.

"Yeah, we'll still have times to just relax and enjoy ourselves though, right?" Antonio asked worriedly.

"Of course! We'll be able to do whatever the hell we want whenever the hell we want! Nobody will be able to stop us!" Gilbert declared dramatically. "Now, who is with me, and who is going to sit at home and be boring?" Sticking his hand out to the middle, Gilbert grinned as two hands were placed on his.

"Are there any rules about this?" Francis asked in a somewhat worried manner.

"Please tell me I can still eat tomatoes!" Antonio begged, his green eyes somehow growing even wider.

"Tomatoes? What the hell does tomatoes have to do with anything?" Gilbert demanded, before rolling his eyes. "There's a few rules yeah, but there is only one you guys _must_ follow! You can't EVER fall in love with someone! Giving your heart away makes you weak, and if you're weak, you're no longer part of this bad ass trio!"

A collection of "Yes!" went up, all in various languages. From somewhere, Antonio produced a camera, and somehow trio got their first picture together. Later that night, Gilbert would write in his journal about how this was "the most awesome day ever."

MEMORY END

Opening his eyes, Gilbert gave a soft chuckle, and carefully set the picture down, getting up off the couch. Exhaustion was tugging at him now, making his step heavy, but there was something he needed to do before he went to sleep. Shuffling around the room, it took a good five more minutes before Gilbert found what he was looking for: that blanket.

"Huh, maybe you were just trying to assist my awesome," he told the blanket, before flopping down on the couch and pulling it over him. "I haven't remembered that in a long time," he mused for a moment, closing his eyes. "Gott, nothing has changed." A soft laugh escaped him now, before sleep claimed Gilbert.

The fact that they had never changed, Gilbert would _always_ be grateful for that. He needed those two more than anything else in the world. One could almost say…

…Well you could almost say that he loved them.

Gilbert didn't give his heart away though. That would make him weak, after all!


	2. The Tomato

"Gilbert should be here already!" The Spaniard whined, sprawled out in the shade of a mighty oak tree. Beside him, a Frenchman laid in a similar position, his intense blue eyes closed, a rested expression on his face. It was driving the Spaniard nuts: his bright green eyes were ablaze with impatience. "I mean, we've been waiting for hours! This is beyond even fashionably late! It's beyond even Gilbert-late!" Giving a huff, Antonio pushed himself up off the ground, shifting so his back was resting against the trunk of the massive tree.

"Relax, Antonio, he'll be here. Enjoy the peace; once he arrives you know we won't have any," a smirk flashed across the Frenchman's face, "besides he could be out getting women. In this place, I hear they can be rather hard to find. The good ones, that is!" A soft laugh escaped the blonde man now, the corners of his eyes crinkling up in merriment.

A blush immediately flamed on Antonio's dark skin, a laugh escaping him as he covered his face. "The good ones are always Spanish! If you wanted ladies you should have just told me!" Antonio teased, though his face still felt as though it was on fire.

"As if! I heard the other day the best lovers were Greek! I'm going to go get myself some Greek ladies! Would you two like to join me and my awesome?" An oh-so-familiar voice called out, its amusement making it seem to soar above even the might oak. "Man, this party _sucks. _Good thing I decided to grace you two with my awesome presence! You can thank me later, individually or as a group!"

Blush darkening further, Antonio grinned widely, listening to Francis laughing beside him. "Gilbert! It—"He started off joyfully until he got cut off by Francis.

"We had some very nice one on one time earlier today, it's a shame you missed it," Francis said with a purr, sitting up and winking at Antonio, his blue eyes flecked with mischief.

"One on one? Psh, as if that even sounds remotely amusing! You have to have more than a one on one to do the more intense maneuvers! Two on one is amazing! You two are all sweaty and tired now though, I doubt you could go for another round," Gilbert scoffed, rolling his red eyes. In the bright light of the sun, he looked like quite the ghost. Perhaps it was a useful albino trait thing?

Wondering this for a moment, Antonio shook his head, a grin stretching across his face. "Alright, Gilbert," Antonio said with a slight laugh, "If you're so good at this, show us!" Reaching down, Antonio picked up the basketball and chucked it at his albino friend. "Teach us, oh awesome one!" He declared, his eyes gleaming with amusement.

"Yes! Show us the error of our ways Master, and we will reward you!" Francis declared, getting to his feet and pulling Antonio up.

"Very well, I shall teach you the fine art of a two on one! Since I am so graciously showing this to you guys, I will be the one. Don't worry," Gilbert added with a wink, dribbling the basketball, "I won't go _too_ hard on you."

"We'll make you regret that choice!" Antonio and Francis cried out at the same time, laughing as they chased Gilbert down the basketball court. Grinning widely, Antonio dove for the ball, though in the end tripped over Francis' feet and ending up skinning his elbows.

"Unfair! He tripped!" Francis pouted, pointing to the offending Antonio.

"It's fair! He tripped over his own feet!" Gilbert yelled as he scored. A groan came from Antonio as he watched the net swish tauntingly. Pushing himself up, he readied himself for the next play, exchanging an amused glance with Francis.

As usual, it wasn't long until the three were sprawled out on the hot cement, chests heaving as they fought to get ahold of their breathing. "Ah, we lost so badly," Antonio said to Francis, listening to the soft laugh that came from Gilbert, smiling. He didn't care that they had lost, heck, Antonio was just happy that they had played a game at all. Pushing himself up so he was resting on one elbow, he glanced over at their flushed faces, his smile growing.

There was Francis, with his normally perfect hair a mess, but a peaceful air to him. For some reason (perhaps it was the groping?) people didn't seem to like Francis all that much. They thought him…to be one dimensional, Antonio decided, scrambling to find the right word. Some sort of man who lusted for sex, and any kind of it. They didn't see his hidden personality, the thing that Antonio simply adored about Francis. Well, he adored the hidden personality as well as the amazing sense of humor, but that was a small detail!

Looking over now, Antonio's eyes lingered on Gilbert, chuckling softly under his breath. Gilbert was just as disliked as Francis was, though for a completely different reason. Other countries found his continuous arrogance to be incredibly annoying, and although he supposed they were right in some way, it was just another thing that Antonio couldn't live without. It wasn't the thing he loved the most about the messy haired albino though. No, that was probably…his tenaciousness. If there was something he wanted, he was going to get out there and get it!

Sinking back to the ground, Antonio took a moment to think about what he was to the group. Silence stretched between the three, but the only thing that the Spaniard could come up with, was the fact he tended to be pretty laid back and calm. Surely there was something else? Something that Gilbert and Francis saw, which was why they kept hanging out with him? A frown started to crease Antonio's face as he thought about this perplexing puzzle.

"Antonio! If you keep frowning like that you're going to get frown lines!" Francis called out in a worried manner.

"Yeah Antonio, you don't want to mar such a pretty face! It may be the one thing that gets you through life!" Gilbert added with a laugh.

Making a joking offended noise, Antonio sat up, crossing his arms and turning away from them. "My beautiful face will not be marred! Besides, who needs brains if you have beauty?" Antonio joked, though he was still pretending to be mad at them. "Anyway, what are you two going to do about it? I can't think of anything!" It was only then, that Antonio realized his mistake.

All of a sudden, he was face down on the concrete, laughing desperately as he found his sides being violated by fingers. Damn them for knowing his ticklish spots! Gasping for breath, Antonio wiggled, trying to throw them off with all the strength he had left.

"The awesome me can always do something! Your challenge has been accepted and defeated!" Gilbert declared, sitting on his shoulders, holding that part of Antonio to the ground.

"And I never give up a chance to potentially grope someone!" Francis chimed in cheerily, sitting directly on Antonio's butt, leaving only his legs free.

"Now give in! Before I take things even beyond this, you wouldn't want that!" Gilbert ordered with a smile to his voice. No doubt going beyond this would be giving Francis freedom to do whatever he wanted…

"A-alright," Antonio gasped out, "I-I cede!" Just like that, all the weight was suddenly off him: he could BREATHE again! Gasping like a fish stuck on a bank, it took a few moments until the Spaniard could sit up, his messy brown hair _everywhere _now. "You two are mean." He said in a huff, sticking his tongue out at them. "And to think I was going to bring Spanish ladies the next time we met! I don't think you two deserve any sort of activity like that!"

"I already told you, Greek ladies are supposed to be the best," Gilbert exclaimed in a fairly exhausted manner.

"Psh, I beg to differ. French ladies can beat both of those," Francis declared in an offended manner, crossing his arms.

"Greek! I read it in a magazine!" Gilbert argued.

"Oh, so you actually read now?" Antonio asked teasingly, laughing when the fiery albino punched his shoulder. "I should go get you a gold sticky star Gilbert!" He joked, dodging the next punch.

"Just don't get him something silver, it would blend right in with that creamy skin of his!" Francis said with a laugh, his blue eyes gleaming with amusement.

"At least I can actually wear something white!" Gilbert declared in a huff. "If you even approach something white it runs away screaming!"

"And you're one to talk, Gilbert!" Antonio said, barely managing to get out before he burst out laughing, eyes flashing with amusement.

"Oh shut up pretty boy!" Gilbert growled.

"Yes Antonio! I know you've gone out and gotten yourself laid before!" Francis exclaimed cheerily, before flashing a wink to Antonio.

Abruptly, Antonio felt his cheeks begin to burn. Ducking his head, he gave a groan, trying to hide that stupid blush. "Yes, I have done that. My sex life isn't as active as your sex life though: that goes for both of you." He said, holding his head in his hands. He should have just stayed out of this.

"Oh! That's not what I've heard!" Gilbert said with a grin.

"Indeed! You're quite active!" Francis said with a smirk in Gilbert's direction. "Maybe I should offer you some tips sometime. Show you what it is like to truly please someone~" The Frenchman said with a wink.

Another groan escaped Antonio now, as he threw his face down into the grass bordering the basketball court, dragging himself off with his fingertips. "You two, you're _horrible_!" He exclaimed, burying his face in the cool grass. He could hear them laughing behind him: how in the world was he supposed to get them back for this? Slowly looking up, it was then that Antonio saw the answers to his prayers.

"Yes, yes, you may be sexy, but I doubt you have the fine touch that I do when it comes to this sort of thing!" Francis argued with Gilbert.

"You don't need a fine touch when you're a hunk of awesome as well as sexy!" Gilbert argued.

Smirking, Antonio crept forward, before unscrewing the hose from the sprinkler and jumping up to his feet, his thumb blocking the end of the house. "You two are both rather hot. Please, allow me to cool you down!" Giving an evil laugh, Antonio released his thumb, drenching the two who had dared to judge his nightlife.

Watching them scramble for any sort of cover, dripping wet and laughing, Antonio couldn't help but admit the fact that he did indeed love those two. He couldn't tell them that though, because that would be breaking _The Rule_, which would piss Gilbert off. Not to mention the fact it would just make things awkward between the three of them.

…However, that didn't mean he couldn't daydream. Especially when he saw how their clothes clung to their bodies…


	3. The Lover

There was nothing quite like sitting out on his deck when the sun was setting with a fine glass of wine. Watching as the colors danced across the sky, a small smile touched the Frenchman's face as he closed his eyes, a deep sigh escaping him. All around him, the peaceful melody of the night could be heard, lulling him into a rather blissful state of mind. He didn't have a bed buddy tonight, but for once, he found that he really didn't mind this.

The mindless sex was starting to get boring anyway. It was the same routine every single time. There was no intimacy, no trust, in the action. Hell, most of the time he was alone when he woke up anyway. Just once, he'd like to wake up and actually have someone beside him, someone that he could trust to be there and not be someone just looking for a good time. Someone…he could give his heart to, perhaps.

He had tried; naturally he had attempted such a feat, but for some reason every time he even made an attempt he always pulled back at the last moment. There was something wrong about everyone he had thought about giving his heart to. They just didn't _get_ him the way that annoying but loveable Gilbert and the adorable Antonio could understand him. Part of him supposed that came from a long friendship, but he wasn't about to complain about that: that friendship was the one thing he could rely on really.

Sighing softly, Francis opened his eyes, watching as the stars slowly started to wink into existence. Sitting alone on his deck like this, it sure made him think a lot more than he liked. Thinking wasn't helping the fact he was alone, that was for certain. Why didn't he just go out there and make a special friend? Someone to romp around with whenever he felt like it, instead of using so many people…wait. That would require actually getting to know someone new on an actual level. No, he couldn't do that. Nobody (aside from Gilbert and Antonio) could see past his presented image.

Casually taking a sip from the wine, a smile flickered to life on the blonde Frenchman's face as he thought about those two again. When he had first met them, he hadn't expected to find the two best friends in the world. Thinking of the future, well, he just couldn't imagine it without them. A future without Gilbert's enthusiasm and attitude, a future without Antonio's sweet smile and random comments, it wasn't something that would be worth living. He would give anything to keep those two around, and judging by today, he had no doubt they would do the same.

Looking down at his (now dry) clothes, Francis gave a soft chuckle, his voice adding to the music of the night. "Ah, Antonio, it seems you got the last laugh after all, seeing as these clothes will never be as clean as before. Very well, my Spanish friend, I will speak with Gilbert. The war is on." He was aware he was talking to himself, but at least then it didn't seem to be quite as lonely as before. There was a way to solve that problem though…

Glancing over at the phone, Francis shook his head. "No, we just finished hanging out a few hours ago. I certainly should not call them." Despite these words, he couldn't help but stare almost longingly at the phone, wishing that he had the strength to just pick it up and dial. He doubted he would be disturbing them, why was he hesitating? Was it because he didn't want to seem needy? Or was it because he didn't want them to know he had been alone tonight instead of having a bit of fun?

Making an exasperated sort of sound, Francis shook his head almost violently, swiftly reaching out and grabbing the phone, pressing the speed dial and holding it to his ear.

"You have reached the almighty Gilbert!" One voice said.

"Hey Francis, I was just thinking about you, and Gilbert of course," the second voice said.

"Gilbert, Antonio," Francis said with a grin, setting his half emptied wine glass down, "why don't you two come over and spend the night? It's quite wonderful over here, but of course, it is always wonderful!" He gave a laugh now; cradling the phone between his ear and shoulder, glancing up at the stars now. They had fully made their way into existence, and it was a breathtaking sight.

"Come over? I'd love to." Antonio said, his voice sounding pleased. He was always pleasant to talk to on the phone…it was Gilbert who could drive someone insane.

"Come over to your place? Man, that's a long walk thing!" A seemingly frustrated sigh could be heard over the phone, before the rambunctious albino continued. "However, since without me it would not be amazingly epic, I will grace you two with my presence!" And after that, Gilbert hung up.

"His phone manners are as bad as his real life manners," Antonio said with amusement in his voice. "I adore them all the same, for some odd reason."

"Ah, that is because you adore just about anything, my good friend." Francis said with a chuckle, shaking his head, smiling up at the sky. "I will see you in a few then."

"Si, I will be there," Antonio promised, before also hanging up.

Disconnecting from the conversation, Francis set his phone down, nearly beaming at his now empty wine glass. What had he been thinking, being all hesitant to call them? He was such an idiot! Chuckling now, an honestly happy sound, Francis scooped up his glass and went back inside, sticking it inside of his almost empty dishwasher. He would feed them in the morning: it was late enough for them to have had their own dinner. And if they hadn't eaten, he was sure Antonio would cook something. The Spaniard adored cooking, at least, as long as it involved tomatoes somehow.

Slipping into his room, Francis removed the clothes he had been wearing earlier that day, changing into a nice t-shirt and pair of slacks, running a brush through his hair. It was always important to look presentable, even if they weren't going to be doing anything important. It was expected of him, after all! He always had to look fashionable and be on the top of his game!

A sudden pounding on his poor door made Francis jump, before he quickly smoothed out his shirt and made his way out of his room. Judging by the intensity of the pounding, Gilbert had been the first to arrive. For some reason, Francis didn't doubt the fact he had tried to burst in and failed. Which made him angry at the door, meaning he had to hit it….it was scary that he understood Gilbert's logic so well.

"Gilbert! You do not have to abuse my door; it was only doing its job!" Francis scolded as he opened the door, biting back a smile as he saw the irritation flash in the albino's eyes.

"The door will bow down to my awesome. Otherwise I will have no choice but to punish it," Gilbert growled, glaring murderously at the door. A soft laugh sounded, before Antonio came into view.

"You are so abusive Gilbert. Every little thing that gets in your way, you want to hit. It makes it hard to believe that you are actually cuddly when you're asleep." The Spaniard winked now, mischief twinkling in his stunning green eyes.

"Hey! You're not one to talk! You can't sleep unless you're snuggling against someone! The more people the better!" Gilbert grouched, coming into the house.

Antonio simply gave a shrug: it wasn't something he could deny. Grinning to himself, Francis simply shook his head. "Oh Gilbert, whips and chains are only fun in bed." He chided lightly, winking at the albino and admiring the automatic blush that came from Antonio.

"Y-you! You just have to take it that way every time, don't you? Mein Gott." Gilbert huffed, crossing his arms. "Alright, what is this thing that we had to see? You'd better have a good reason for waking me up Frenchie!" Gilbert declared, poking Francis in the chest now.

"Now Gilbert, you really don't need to sleep that much. You're already a simply stunning male." Francis said with a laugh.

"What about me?" Antonio pouted, crossing his arms. "I am a simply stunning man as well!"

"Well, I can't deny that," Francis said with a chuckle, grabbing their hands and leading them outside. Two hands was the perfect amount, he thought absently as he walked with them. This way, neither of his palms could feel left out or cold. Antonio radiated heat, but when he had Gilbert's cooler hand as well, it balanced out to a very happy medium. Reaching a meadow, Francis released the two hands somewhat reluctantly, before pointing to the ground. "Lay down." He instructed.

"I get the feeling this could go wrong in many ways," Gilbert grumped at him, though he got down, flopping so he was staring up at the sky.

"You're always so negative about things Gilbert. It could be a pleasant thing anyway." Antonio mused, laying down with a lot more grace than his counterpart.

Settling down on the other side of Gilbert, Francis pointed up to the stars wordlessly, watching as they glowed brightly down upon the three. Around them, the wind rustled the grass as crickets chirped. Occasionally the hoot of an owl could be heard: it was all part of the music of the night.

"Alright, well, this is decent." Gilbert grumbled, though when Francis looked over, he saw that the albino was far more into watching the stars than he wanted to let on.

"I almost always forget to look up at the sky when it is night time," Antonio whispered, one of his hands stretching up as if he could touch the stars. "I'm glad that tonight, you reminded me to do so."

Absently reaching over, Francis grabbed one of Gilbert's hands, watching as Gilbert proceeded to grab Antonio's free hand. Feeling the warmth against his palm, Francis couldn't help but smile. If there was a heaven up there for him, this was what it would be. There would only be the three of them, being themselves, without worrying about having to impress anyone.

Abruptly, he heard Antonio make a surprised sound. "Look! A shooting star! Quick, everyone, make a wish!" He exclaimed cheerily, grinning from ear to ear.

Glancing up at the sky, Francis traced the path of the star with his eyes, a new smile growing on his lips. Closing his eyes, he searched for the right thing. A few heartbeats passed, and he made his wish, looking up at the sky with a smile. Maybe he couldn't love Gilbert and Antonio because of the Rule. That didn't mean though, he couldn't give them his heart, right? After all…there wasn't anyone he trusted more.

And that was why, instead of wishing for something unimportant, Francis wished for forever with both Gilbert and Antonio. He wished for nothing bad to tear them apart: he wished to have their hearts, just as they had his. He didn't know how much of that wish would come true, but as he gazed up at the night stars with Gilbert and Antonio, he couldn't help but feel content…he couldn't help but feel _happy_.


End file.
